:: Mastodon - Live At The Aragon (with DVD)

Mastodon

With Mastodon’s change in sound over their last two albums the band seems to have been losing more fans than they have been gaining, so it seems a bit of a surprise that their next album release would be a live album. A band has to be pretty sure of themselves to release such an album, if you’re a band like Fall Out Boy who sound terrible live than it’s a certain no-no, but to Mastodon’s credit Live At The Aragon sounds so good they could win back some of the fans that they have lost. I have to admit though that early on things don’t sound for them at all. The vocals on ‘Oblivion’ seem lost in the music and for a brief moment you find yourself thinking ‘if this doesn’t get better I’m tuning it.’ However, it seems to have been a technical issue on the night because by the time ‘Divinations’ comes around the vocals have sorted themselves out and you are left marveling at Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds’ masterful guitar playing. ‘Quintessence’ sees Mastodon break out of the ‘alternative rock’ sound of the first two tracks and hit their full metal straps… and to hear Mastodon sounding like this is like welcoming back an old friend. If Mastodon keep playing like this they’ll win back those old fans in no time. The melody on ‘The Czar’ is a standout while the smooth ‘Ghost Of Karelia’ reveals why Mastodon went with a live album… because they sound so brilliant live and the audience noise only adds more atmosphere to what is already a good album. The full-on onslaught of ‘Crack The Skye’ sounds amazing and hopefully encourages Mastodon to embrace their old sound. The audience are treated to a haunting rendition of ‘The Last Baron’, its ethereal sound sticking in your mind for a long time after it has played but then comes a slight let down with ‘Circle Of Cysquatch’ sounding very bland indeed. Troy Sanders silences his critics with some great vocals on ‘Aqua Dementia’ while both ‘Where Strides The Behemoth’ and ‘Mother Puncher’ are full-on and uncompromising… the way metal is supposed to be. The Atlanta quartet then close with a brilliant cover of The Melvins’ track ‘The Bit’. Mastodon really have created a gem with Live At The Aragon. Their full metal sound is back, and sounds brilliant, now we can only hope they keep it that way. Any fans of the older Mastodon must add this to their collection immediately.